


Fortune's Favour

by MachineQueen



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Backstory, Fluff, M/M, Romantic Comedy, Subaki's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-12 23:04:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11171946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineQueen/pseuds/MachineQueen
Summary: Niles saves Subaki’s life. The favour he asks for in return gives Subaki more trouble than he’d bargained for.Contains violence but nothing graphic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m a filthy casual who got super into FE Heroes. My gf uses Subaki as her avatar and I was curious so I Googled him. I ended up coming across the Subaki/Niles support convos. And boom, fic.

Subaki is falling but that’s fine (or so he tells himself). Every pegasus knight learns how to fall, usually by necessity. Pegasi are sensitive creatures after all and Subaki’s been tossed from the saddle more than a few times before. He needs to try and twist his body to the side and tilt his head down to avoid hitting it on anything. Above him, his pegasus writhes, an arrow embedded in her flank. The battle has been long- Subaki is already injured, having cut down swathes of opposing forces already. He’ll have to hope he gets lucky, that the battle ends soon and that someone will notice he’s gone and come and find him.

(Someone will notice…right?)

Subaki closes his eyes and braces himself for impact with the forest floor. At best, he’ll be knocked unconscious. At worse, he’ll break something. Hopefully just an arm or a leg and not his spine...

But instead of striking the ground, he lands on something solid and warm that says ‘Ooof!’ 

The two of them lie in a heap for a moment. Subaki tries and fails to fathom how a passing soldier might somehow have missed a falling sky knight. 

Did someone try and catch him…?

“Aha! Subaki the Perfect. Finally, I’ve got you right where I want you,” says a silky voice in his ear. 

Subaki blinks up, still dazed from the fall, and sees a wide grin, an eye patch, a halo of white hair.

“Niles?”

He’s the last person Subaki was expecting. Though they’d formed an uneasy truce of late, Subaki hadn’t thought anything of it beyond being relieved the other man no longer appeared to want to stab him in the back. 

Still, they’d never been close enough for Subaki to count Niles’ eyelashes before. That was probably too close to be safe and/or decent. It was bad enough that he’d fallen, if someone else were to see them in this position then that might just put Subaki’s perfect reputation on the line. 

That, and Niles’ unmistakable leer was disconcerting.

“Get your hands off-” Subaki protests but a firm finger pressing against his lips cuts him off.

“Shut your pretty mouth!” hisses Niles. Somewhere behind them, there’s the drum of hooves on the ground. Niles pushes Subaki down again with more force than necessary and they both lie in the undergrowth, hoping they won’t be seen. The noise fades a little. Niles’ hand is warm, a shocking contrast to Subaki’s wind battered form. 

“Isn’t this cosy?” whispers Niles, his breath close enough to tickle Subaki’s cheek. 

“Stop,” says Subaki. He can feel his face flushing but Niles merely smiles at him. 

“Don’t move,” warns Niles. Subaki watches him rise up and scramble for a foothold in the nearest tree. Presumably he was going to try and work out what was happening on the battlefield. Perhaps now would be a good time for Subaki to try and slip away...

The spot where Niles’ hand had been tingled, but apart from that and a few scratches Subaki seems relatively unharmed. Thanks to Niles, the fall has done little more than knock the wind out of him. He moves each one of his limbs experimentally and tries not to think about how many pegasus knights die from bad falls. 

Subaki decides to sit and wait. It would be a little cold to run away from someone who’d possibly saved his life. And besides, they were on the same side now. 

“Retreat,” says Niles after a few more moments, dropping to the ground. His movements are eerily silent- Subaki wonders if it’s by habit or carefully orchestrated. 

“Well. Thank you for catching me,” says Subaki. 

“The pleasure was all mine,” says Niles. “Can you stand?” He smiles almost sweetly and Subaki is so taken aback that he doesn’t know what to say. He’s touched that Niles would bother to try and help him but he doesn’t quite know how to put it into words. He accepts Niles hand and finds his feet again. The world rights itself. 

“You owe me one now,” says Niles, all at once clarifying the situation. And with that, Subaki’s gratitude falls away like leaves in autumn. Because of course Niles wouldn’t just help him for no good reason. They’re not even friends.

“I see,” says Subaki, a distinct chill in his tone. “What kind of favour do you need, then?”

“That would be telling,” says Niles, flashing a row of white teeth. “Let’s get you back to your usual perfect self beforehand, hmm?”

XxX

It’s been weeks since Niles caught him in the forest. Since then, Lady Corrin’s orders have kept them apart. Subaki wonders (hopes?) if the favour he owes has been long forgotten. It’s easy to forget things when day after day brings another battle and with it another few hundred chances to die. 

Still, he’s on his guard. He’s waiting for the telltale prickle on the back of his neck, the indescribable feeling of being watched by someone with a knife in their hand. Subaki begins to wonder whether he should seek the other man out first, if only so he can get some peace. 

The quiet of the stable is no good for him, he decides. There’d be no time to worry about Niles if he was surrounded by people. And besides, he has a list of jobs as long as his arm. Lady Sakura is relying on him and he has no time to waste worrying about a scoundrel who a month ago he wouldn’t think twice about running through with his naginata.

“I think I’m going mad,” he tells his pegasus, giving her coat one final brush. The wound from the arrow has long healed and she has not tossed him from the saddle since. 

The pegasus snorts, possibly in agreement.

“Some do say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness.”

Subaki jumps away from the pegasus and twists, fists clenched. 

“Niles. Come out. Stop playing games with me.”

Niles steps out from behind a haystack near the door, the smug grin on his face just begging Subaki to take a swing at it. 

This man might well have saved your life. Best calm down.

“Come for your favour at last, have you?” asks Subaki. He takes a breath, unclenches his fists.

“I would say I was sorry to keep you in suspense but…” Niles shrugs. “I’d be lying.”

“Just tell me what you want,” says Subaki. 

Niles looks him up and down appraisingly. Subaki suddenly becomes very aware that he’s sweaty and dishevelled from rubbing down his pegasus and cleaning the stables. His hair is falling down and there’s mud on his boots. He performs these chores alone early in the morning or late at night so no one can catch him in such a state of imperfection. He shifts self consciously under Niles’ gaze, which is pretty intense for a man with only one eye.

“I need your wings,” says Niles finally. “I need to fly.”

There’s a beat between them. Subaki had been expecting any number of things, most of them unsavoury, but this he had not been expecting. Despite himself, he’s intrigued. 

“Fly where?” asks Subaki. 

“Nowhere special. Just somewhere in the Nohrian slums. I’ve got some unfinished business.”

Subaki frowns. “A pegasus knight in the slums? I thought you favoured stealth…”

Niles shrugs. “The place I’m going, I need to fly. And you owe me. I could have let you become nothing but a bloody pile of limbs in that forest, you know.”

XxX

Niles shows Subaki where he wants to go on a creased map, tiny and near inscrutable. 

“An island?” Subaki asks. 

“Not quite. A tiny strip with a beach joins it to the mainland. But go in that way and you'll be seen a mile off. That's why I need to fly.”

“And just what is this ‘unfinished business?’”

Niles smiles unsettlingly. “You might say I have a score to settle. It’s nothing you need to worry about. I just need you to take me in and out.”

Subaki has a bad feeling about the entire situation which manifests as a hard knot within his gut. Going into enemy territory with an untrustworthy companion is a foolish thing to do. Yet he also adheres to a strict code of honour. Niles saved his life, a debt he will likely never be able to repay in full. So if all Niles wants is a single use of his wings, how can he say no?

Subaki nods. He will do it.


	2. Chapter 2

Subaki isn’t used to flying with someone else. 

Niles has both him and his pegasus distracted. As the pegasus is unaccustomed to the extra weight, Subaki doesn’t dare push her to go faster in fear of getting them both tipped from the saddle.Yet the longer they are in the air, the longer Subaki has to breathe in Niles’ presence, which is a little too close for comfort. It doesn’t help that Niles is stubbornly clinging to him, muttering grimly about how Subaki had better not let him fall off. It’s the first time Subaki’s ever seen him on edge. In one sense, it’s thrilling to see a new, unexpected side to Niles. In another, Subaki wonders if Niles’ fear might make him even more dangerous and unpredictable.

“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” Subaki asks Niles, half-joking, trying to ease the tension.

“...If you tell anyone about this, I will gut you,” hisses Niles in his ear. “And I will do it slowly.”

The next time they turn a corner, Subaki has the pegasus turn a little more forcefully than necessary, jolting the saddle. Subaki hears Niles’ breath catch and he curses and tightens his grip on Subaki’s shoulders. His fear is genuine and leaves Subaki feeling a little guilty for pulling such a maneuver.

“You won’t fall,” says Subaki gently. “Trust me.”

Niles exhales a quiet laugh, his breath warm against Subaki’s neck. “If only I could.”

XxX

Luckily it’s a relatively short flight from the current location of their shared camp and the island is soon within sight.

From above, it looks like something from a picturebook. There’s a mountain rising up in the middle surrounded by a sea of green forests and after that a ring of yellow sandy beaches. Subaki is surprised that somewhere so beautiful exists inside Nohr. 

“There?” Subaki asks incredulously. “I thought you said you wanted to go into the slums.”

“Go to the southernmost point,” says Niles. “And take a closer look.”

Subaki frowns but does as he says. Things begin to look more urban. A fierce smog rises up from a lopsided square of grey. Subaki can tell that if he flies through it, his pegasus will quickly begin to lose her bright white coat. He skews around it, unsure of how to approach. They will at least be hidden, shrouded by the smog. 

“Look for a green hill to the south east,” says Niles. “There’s an abandoned stable there we can use to hide your mount.”

XxX

Subaki feels uneasy leaving his pegasus behind, even though she seems happy enough. The old stable is well hidden and there’s a steady supply of grass and even a stream of water but…

What if she’s stolen? Then both he and Niles will be stuck out here in the smog, with no way to get back or get help. 

“Maybe I should stay here,” says Subaki. “You said you only needed a ride in and out, yes?”

“It’ll be a boring few hours for you if you do,” says Niles. “There’s plenty of taverns in town and a decent market. Play your cards right and I’ll buy you something pretty, as you kept your word and didn’t let me fall to my death.”

Subaki snorts. “Resorting to bribery to keep me on side? Though it does seem rash to let you wander in alone…”

Despite himself, Subaki is intrigued. He’s never been somewhere like this before and it does seem a waste to merely wait in an abandoned stable. Niles gives him a charming smile and even though he knows he shouldn’t, Subaki falls for it hook, line and sinker. It’s like he can’t help himself.

XxX

It doesn’t take long for Subaki to realise he’s made a mistake. As they wander down from the hillside and into the slums, passersby start giving him odd looks. He didn’t think to disguise the fact that he’s a Hoshidan knight and he’s still wearing the colours of its royal family. More than that though, it’s the neatness of his appearance that makes him really stand out. The narrow streets are full of men, women and children going about their business - all universally covered in a layer of grey filth. 

Subaki is acutely aware that he doesn’t belong here. 

Niles marches forward blithely, one step ahead, appearing not to notice Subaki’s unease.

Hoshidan, Subaki hears in a whisper. Foreigner.

The ‘houses’ they pass look like they are held together with little more than mud, spit and good fortune. Subaki is appalled. He doesn’t understand how people can live in such terrible conditions. It strikes Subaki that once upon a time perhaps Niles lived here or somewhere like this. He certainly seems to know where he’s going in any case. 

“A flower, sir?”

A child has approached them with a sorry looking basket of daisies. Subaki can’t even tell whether they’re a boy or a girl. All the same, he can’t find it within himself to turn away so he hands over a penny in exchange for a bloom. 

Behind him, he hears a sharp slapping sound and Niles saying, “Don’t even think about it.”

When Subaki looks down, he sees a cheerful child, not more than eight years old attempting to pick his pockets. Niles growls and the two children run away laughing, not remotely phased at being caught. 

Subaki flushes, feeling foolish. 

“I see I shall have to keep a closer eye on you,” says Niles, slowing his speed so they’re walking in step with each other. “I forgot that you would be vulnerable to even the simplest of tricks.”

“I should have been more guarded,” says Subaki. “I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“I expect there were few criminals in the place you come from,” says Niles. “You grew up with a wealthy family, didn’t you?”

“I don’t really remember it,” says Subaki. “But yes, my family are well known and not short of a few coin.” 

“It must surprise you to see how poor this part of Nohr is.”

“Should the island not provide the people with more space and sustenance?”

“Correct. This island is an oasis in Nohr,” says Niles. “But it is not strictly under control of the royals. This land belongs to gangsters who make a tidy sum from the efforts of its residents.”

“Is this where you come from?” asks Subaki. 

“Not really,” Niles says vaguely.

Their wandering has taken them into something resembling a town square. There’s a fountain spewing murky water in the centre and a few ramshackle stalls. In one corner stands what must be a tavern; there are a few men drunkenly slumped smoking outside. 

Subaki would most definitely rather run in the opposite direction but there’s no way that he’s going to admit that to Niles. They weave their way through the market at a fast clip, clearly headed for the tavern. The market is selling mostly basics like fruit, vegetables and bread. Some of the food Subaki can’t identify, he just knows it’s not anything you could find in Hoshido. Some of the stallholders give him strange looks or attempt to engage him but Niles pushes him onwards. 

There’s a young girl buying supplies at one of the stalls up ahead, opposite the entrance to the tavern. Subaki notices her because she’s the only thing he’s seen that bears any resemblance to beauty. She’s dark haired and dull clothed but something about the way she moves draws attention. A man stands at her side, whispering in her ear, a hand on her waist.

“Leave me alone!” she says, trying to wriggle away. She looks around for help and meets Subaki’s eye.

“Don’t-” says Niles from behind him but Subaki has already gone. Something about this girl makes him think of Lady Sakura. She’s the same age, a similar height. 

“She said leave her alone,” Subaki says to the girl’s assailant, evenly, calmly. He’s hoping diplomacy is all he needs but every muscle in his body tenses, ready to fight.

The man snorts. “I didn’t know we were due another hanging so soon,” he says, looking Subaki up and down. “That’s all you Hoshidans are good for, right?”

“Excuse me?”

The girl flinches away, hovers uncertainly. 

“Hey boys! There’s a Hoshidan down here, walking to his own execution!” yells the man, in the direction of the tavern. There’s a chorus of shouts in response and a crowd of market goers begins to gather. 

An execution -

Like the one six months ago -

Are the Hoshidans invading?

Kill them! Kill the Hoshidans!

Niles puts a hand on his elbow and Subaki calms, just a little. He isn’t alone. Niles hasn’t abandoned him. The crowd is too big for the two of them but no one’s attacked, not yet.

They’re afraid of me, Subaki realises. 

Subaki would rather high tail it back to the stable than stay a moment longer and is about to put this suggestion to Niles when the largest man he’s ever seen strolls over, ever so casually. Somehow Subaki senses his casualness is a show, forced. Subaki glances at Niles, who smiles at the stranger like they’ve been friends all their life. 

“Oi!” says the stranger, ostensibly to Niles but he’s far more interested in Subaki. He looks him up and down in a way that makes Subaki’s skin crawl. The newcomer turns away and surveys the crowd. 

“Stop roughhousing!” he bellows. 

“Aww, Mikey!”

There is a round of protesting but Mikey makes some pretty coarse threats and eventually the girl scurries away, shooting a grateful look in Subaki’s direction and the tavern goers go back to the tavern. 

“Thank you,” says Subaki but Mikey doesn’t seem to be paying attention.

“I’m sure the boss will be interested. Very, very interested,” says Mikey. There’s a tattoo on his neck, shaped like a black half sun. It has a curious, simple beauty to it.

“Indeed,” says Niles. “She likes Hoshidan spies, doesn’t she?”

Subaki freezes. “Niles-” he protests. 

“Shut up,” says Niles. “Hoshidan scum.”

The mocking use of Prince Takumi’s phrasing completely throws Subaki and he shuts up. He isn’t sure what Niles is playing at but his grip is painfully tight on Subaki’s wrist. He could out and out punch him but Subaki is (foolishly) unarmed and he already knows Niles is not - he’s seen the glint of knives in his belt. Maybe it’s safest to go along with this for now. Subaki wishes he could rule out Niles stabbing him - but he really, really can’t. After all, he’s tried it before.

“Where did he come from?” asks the stranger.

“Oh, you know. He’s been lurking,” says Niles. “I’ve been a good boy and brought him in, so where’s my prize?”

“I know you, don’t I?” says the stranger, peering at Niles. 

“Nope,” says Niles lightly.


	3. Chapter 3

“This is the last time I trust you, ever,” hisses Subaki. “I will make you pay for this, Niles.”

Niles gives a soft laugh. “Subaki, Subaki. You make a perfect prisoner.”

“What kind of game are you playing?”

“Just play your part and everything will be fine,” says Niles. “I promise.”

“I am not sure of the value in a promise from you.”

“Believe it or don’t. Either way you’re trapped,” says Niles.

Subaki grinds his teeth, angry at Niles, angry at himself for being tricked into this, of how easy he had made things for Niles. After nearly being pick pocketed, he had said he would be on his guard - but he still hadn’t seen this coming.

The streets clear for them, the large gentleman in front striking a path through scores of curious onlookers. Subaki lowers his gaze. Being somewhere like this makes him feel ashamed of the privilege he was born with. He thinks perhaps he can begin to understand why Niles hates him so much. 

Still, even if he was worthy of hatred and scorn, did he really deserve to be betrayed like this? Had this been Niles’ plan all along, going back to when he’d caught Subaki in the forest?

“Finally, I’ve got you right where I want you,” Niles had said.

Subaki realises he is afraid. He’s never been a prisoner before. Will Lady Sakura find out? Will everyone know that he was stupid enough to trust someone like Niles? Somehow, that seems worse than any torture or other harm that may or may not be coming his way. 

_An execution -_

_Like the one six months ago._

XxX

They are led out of the slums and down a long, tree-lined gravel road. At the end of it stands a vast mansion, all white marble columns and arching windows. Their voices will no longer be drowned out by the noise of the town, so they don’t speak. 

They are marched through several iron gates, each one bigger than the last and heavily guarded. All of the guards wear the same half sun tattoo to the point where it’s stopped being beautiful and started to become creepy. 

Niles holds Subaki tightly by the arm. Subaki isn’t sure whether to be alarmed or reassured by the gesture but that’s nothing new. Subaki can feel from his grip how tense Niles is, his single eye roving, noting the guards, the gates. Running calculations, Subaki thinks.

They are led inside a palatial hallway, the size of it giving even the Hoshidan Castle a run for its money. The decoration is a little tacky though. Most surfaces are shiny, any decorative items are loaded with jewels. Whoever the mansion belongs to is clearly very wealthy and doesn’t hesitate in showing it off.

Gangsters.

Subaki knew they usually preyed off the poor, sucking whole areas dry of resources and refusing to share any of the profit they made from their criminal connections. He knew that Niles had a criminal past but gangsters were on a whole different level. 

Finally, they halt at two massive double doors. 

There’s a bit of whispering between the guards but then they are waved through. Or Niles is. Subaki is dragged, though he doesn’t put up much resistance. He wants to know who’s in charge, though he expects it will just be a grown up version of your average playground bully. Maybe he’ll be violent but unintelligent.

(Though still intelligent enough to exploit an entire community)

In the middle of the large hall, a woman sits at a vast desk. Even from a distance Subaki can tell the desk is finely made, the dark red wood strong and shining. Behind the desk is a flag, again bearing the half sun symbol. The woman doesn’t wear it on her face or neck like the others they’ve seen. She is beautiful in a soft way, fair curls tumbling around rosy cheeks. Her clothes are pastel coloured, purple and blue, doll like. 

The guards do not follow them into the room.

“Well, well, well. Indigo Hope, in the flesh.” says Niles. There’s a smugness in his voice that gives Subaki hope. Maybe things are going according to his plan.

But I should stop worrying about Niles and try and save myself.

“Are you missing a pegasus, Mr. Hoshidan?” the woman, Indigo, answers. Her voice is soft and breathy. “One of my boys found one on the heathland and brought it down for me.”

“He is indeed a pegasus knight, sent to spy,” says Niles. 

“Yet neither this pretty man or his even prettier pegasus seem to be injured,” says Indigo. “You need to get your story straight, Niles. I expected better from you.”

Niles flinches, almost imperceptibly but Subaki is more perceptive than most. 

“...Tch. You recognised me.”

“You don’t look so different. Perhaps a little less pathetic.”

Subaki sighs. “If this is just some elaborate ruse between old friends, may I take my pegasus and go?”

Indigo giggles, the sound sinister as it echoes round the room. “Nice try, Mr. Hoshidan. I must say it was very clever of Niles to use you to buy his way in here. Otherwise, he would be made most unwelcome.”

“So I gather,” mutters Subaki. 

“You already know what I want,” says Niles. “So why waste time?”

“You really think I’ll just hand it over? How naive of you. I’ve come a long way, Niles.”

“You gave yourself a stupid nickname and had a few gangsters murdered. What an achievement,” says Niles. “Return what you stole.”

“Remember when we were kids and we used to trade trinkets?” asks Indigo. “Your knife for my dagger, your fruit for my bread...and so on. I think I’d like to continue our little game.”

“I see,” says Niles. “I think I can guess what your price will be, but go on.”

Indigo points at Subaki. The simplicity of the gesture makes it all the more chilling. Subaki flinches. Niles wouldn’t…would he?

Niles’ smile is subzero. “Done.”


	4. Chapter 4

Subaki manages to use his flailing limbs to knock out one, two, three, four guards in the process of being dragged underground and into a jail cell. It doesn’t help him though - he’s deep in Nohrian territory. It’s unlikely anyone will ever hear of him again. The cell is not more than ten feet square and Subaki has been inside all of five minutes - but it's already beginning to feel cramped. 

The most frustrating, painful thing about the situation is that Subaki had known Niles was dangerous- and still fallen for his trap. The way he’d stood there, smirking, while Subaki called him every foul name he could think of...it made Subaki wish he’d taken his chances and let the thief plunge off the pegasus and to his death in an unfortunate ‘accident’. 

Forget it. Try and escape.

Issue #1 - after he got punch-y with the guards, they handcuffed him. 

Fortunately, Subaki has long been prepared for such a situation. If the child from earlier had been successful in her pickpocketing, her spoils would merely have been a handful of iron hair grips, practical rather than pretty. But - they were very good for picking the locks of handcuffs.

It takes all of Subaki’s dexterity and he has to bend his hands into several very unnatural shapes and contortions before he can bend the grip at the right angle and get it inside the lock. Somehow though, he manages and the cuffs slide to the floor. 

Subaki shakes the bars of his cell experimentally. They rattle but he doesn’t think he can force his way out. There is a padlock on the other side of the bars but the grip is not big enough to spring it open. Even more annoying, he can see the door that leads out has been left wide open on the other side of the bars, taunting.

Frustrated, Subaki sits back down on the floor of the cell and tries to think. There must be something else he can do. 

Before he can properly reevaluate, there’s a thunder of footsteps and two guards appear in the doorway. One of them is the man from earlier, Mikey, who escorted them from town. In his fist he holds the limp form of a prisoner, a familiar blue cloak covering his face. Subaki springs to his feet, ready to fight. 

“Don’t even think about it.”

A second guard, a spellcaster, brandishes a tome, the threat obvious. Subaki stills, frustrated. If he moves, he’ll get blasted.

“We’ve brought your friend to keep you company.”

The door to the cell is unlocked and Niles is unceremoniously tossed inside. He’s unconscious, white hair over his face and there’s something wrong with his breathing. 

“If anything...unfortunate were to happen to him, I’m sure Indigo Hope would understand,” grinned the guard. “Your buddy did sell you out after all.”

XxX

Subaki wakes to someone shaking him. As he blinks and peers into the dark, he’s ashamed to realise that there are tears on his cheeks. The sense of helplessness he felt as he slipped into an uneasy sleep was made worse in his dreams, where he was sentenced to death in a myriad of horrifying ways.

“Hush, it’s alright,” whispers someone - Niles. His hair is bright in the dark of the room, his presence close and warming.

Subaki takes a deep intake of breath- and throws his fist into Niles’ face. There’s a satisfying whap and Niles, completely off guard, plummets to the ground. He groans, the wind completely knocked out of him.

“You’re still angry, I take it,” Niles says once he’s regained the capacity for words. “But listen, I wouldn’t have just left you. I was just going to take what’s mine, break in here and bust you out. Honest.”

“Fuck you,” snarls Subaki. “As if you’ve ever been honest.”

“It was nothing personal,” says Niles. “It’s what anyone would have done. People are always betraying each other. Lovers and friends and family...maybe even lieges. It’s just human nature.”

“Lady Sakura would never betray me. How dare you!”

Before he can think about what he’s doing, he’s pushed Niles against the bars, one hand on his neck, the other read to deliver yet another punch. 

Subaki remembers what Mikey said.

If anything...unfortunate were to happen to him, I’m sure Indigo Hope would understand.

Niles gazes at him with his single blue eye, a coldness in it that makes Subaki pause. His lip is bleeding from Subaki’s earlier punch. He looks pathetic - probably not as pathetic as Subaki, but pathetic all the same. Subaki snorts and releases him. The suggestion that Lady Sakura would betray him has brought him back to his senses and he will not let any more of Niles’ nonsense get to him. 

“Alright, perhaps the princess wouldn’t betray you - for now,” Niles says, persistent. “After all you’re a perfect soldier, aren’t you? But Subaki, what would happen if you stopped being Mr. Perfect?”

The nickname niggles Subaki. The way Niles says it always gets at him, wriggles under his skin and itches and infuriates. 

“I will never stop being perfect,” he says. 

“I’ve been watching you,” says Niles. “Your supposed perfection is all just one big illusion. Isn’t the reason you strive so hard to keep up the illusion in order to keep people from betraying you? Deep down, you know as well as I do that betrayal is commonplace...”

“Someone like you wouldn’t understand,” says Subaki before he can stop himself. The words come out cold. “You have nothing to lose.”

“I suppose you’re right,” says Niles. “A lowborn reformed criminal wouldn’t know anything about the trials and tribulations of a high and mighty knight such as yourself. So sorry, Sir Knight.”

Niles bows low, mocking. It’s a challenge but one Subaki doesn’t feel like taking. His anger is fading quickly, replaced by a dull sense of pity. There seems little point in fighting Niles. 

“I would have been a friend you could trust, if you had let me,” says Subaki.  
“In any case, I suppose I shall now die a perfect death.”

“Ah,” says Niles. “I forgot to mention...”

He pulls out a keychain from his belt with a promising jangle. Subaki’s mouth falls open.

“How did you…?”

“I have my ways,” says Niles. “Ready to escape?

XxX

The hallway they flee down is pitch black. Subaki can’t see so he tries following the sound of Nile’ footsteps. His movements are quiet though and Subaki strains his ears to hear. He has no idea how Niles knows where he’s going and it occurs to him that he might be walking straight into another trap. It’s too late to do anything about it now though...

“Stairs,” warns Niles. It’s a second too late, however. Subaki has already begun to trip and tumble. Panic rushes through him - but then he feels hands grasp his shoulders and steady him. He waits for a lewd comment but Niles simply holds on until he’s sure Subaki has regained his footing. Something about his touch leaves Subaki feeling unduly flustered but he decides to worry about it later. For now all he wants to do is find his pegasus and escape. 

XxX

They manage to sneak back to the entrance unhindered. Nothing is locked from the inside and there are no guards to be seen. It isn’t until Niles starts telling Subaki directions to where he thinks the stables are that he realises Niles has no intention of leaving the mansion just yet.

“Where are you going?”

Nile shrugs. “To get what I came for, obviously.”

“Which is what?”

Niles looks cagey. Maybe even embarrassed. “My mother gave me a good luck charm. Indigo stole it from me during one of our flings. I want it back.”

Subaki stares at him incredulously. “That’s what this is all about? A good luck charm?”

Niles shrugs. “...I’ve had nothing but rotten luck since I lost it. And it’s the only thing I have of my family.”

Subaki watches his face, wondering if this is another trick and failing to see how. In any case, if he finds the stables he can escape.

“If you’re not at the stables in the next half an hour, I’m leaving without you.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Shh…” Subaki tell his pegasus, who lets out a joyful cry upon seeing him. She nuzzles his shoulder affectionately and Subaki can’t help but throw his arms around her neck. 

_I really thought I was going to die._

The stables are half hidden in the mansion grounds but Subaki managed to find them, no mean feat in the half light of the breaking dawn. Subaki’s pegasus is the only thing present and the stalls are peculiarly large. At first Subaki is confused. Then he remembers the first time he saw Princess Camilla. She had been talking to her mount, a terrifying Nohrian creature called a wyvern. Camilla was tall enough to reach its snout, which she tapped gently.

“You mustn’t eat any Hoshidans, darling,” she told it. “At least not for a little while.”

With a shudder, Subaki had withdrawn, not wishing to engage with the princess. 

Knowing there were probably wyverns around put Subaki on edge. Though he had told Niles he would wait, he was impatient to be on his way. 

_It isn’t as though I owe him anything anymore._

XxX

It’s not been five minutes when his pegasus starts whickering warningly. She butts her nose against Subaki’s soothing hand, her intent clear. She wants to leave as much as he does. 

“Just a bit longer,” he whispers in her ear. Despite everything, he’s not the type of man who will break his word to someone. Even if that someone is a jerk and a Nohrian and a pain in the backside. 

Outside of the stables, there’s the unmistakable whoosh of wyvern wings. Subaki’s mouth goes dry. If the original occupants of the stable have returned...

Subaki looks around and grabs a glaive that’s seen better days. It’s probably not going to deliver a clean cut to a wyvern but it’ll do some damage and that’s enough. 

(He hopes)

“Let’s go,” he tells the pegasus.

XxX

Any hope of making a quick getaway is dashed when they make it outside and the first thing Subaki sees is Indigo’s guard, Mikey, atop a wyvern. 

There’s no time to think. There’s no time to properly prepare. All Subaki can do is swing the glaive over one shoulder, leap into the saddle and urge his pegasus to take a running jump at the sky. 

Somehow he narrowly misses both being scraped by wyvern claws and having his head taken off by Mikey’s axe. Mikey yells something that sounds like, ‘No one escapes the missus,’ but the wind half drowns him out. 

Subaki turns the pegasus round and bolts back towards Indigo’s mansion, hoping he might spot Niles on his way out to meet him. His vision is hindered by the dark but he doesn’t spot any movement...he hovers over something that looks like a vast courtyard, in the centre of Indigo’s complex, trying to see by the faint light of the sun. 

A wyvern roars behind him. 

It’s madness to hope to win against the wyvern rider. Subaki may be fast but there’s no way to overpower him. The sensible thing to do would be to retreat.

Subaki isn’t feeling sensible, however. He’s angry and tired and all he wants is to be back in the Hoshido camp, by Lady Sakura’s side. There’s no way that this idiot on a wyvern is going to be the one to stop him. 

And besides, he’s one of Hoshido’s best pegasus knights and he’s armed.

Instead of continuing to flee, he commands the pegasus to perform a hairpin turn around a chimney pot and urges them towards the wyvern. He can feel the pegasus hesitate, wondering if he’s completely lost the plot. But he isn’t afraid and she follows his instructions, trusting him to make the right choice. 

Glaive outstretched, wind whipping through his hair, Subaki attacks.

Subaki’s strike is true and catches Mikey off balance. He is not a small man but he’s underestimated Subaki’s strength. He rocks dangerously in the saddle. 

Perfect.

“One more,” Subaki tells the pegasus.

This time when they charge, Subaki doesn’t aim for the rider but goes wide and aims for the thinnest part of membrane that forms the wyvern’s wing, thin enough that his dull glaive slices through it like a knife through butter. The wyvern lets out a shrill howl and writhes. Already shaken from earlier, Mikey is viciously thrown around. As Subaki watches their gradual plummet to the ground, the wyvern twisting and spinning in the air he feels something like regret. He has always fought to protect- his family or Lady Sakura. This is one of the only times he’s had to fight for himself, for his own protection. Though he feels powerful it also leaves a bad taste in his mouth. 

There’s an almighty crash as Mikey and the wyvern hit the ground.

There’s movement below. Lights turn on. And today really, really isn’t Subaki’s day. On all four sides of the courtyard, on each and every balcony he can make out the shape of a figure holding a bow, arrow poised, ready to shoot. 

In the centre of it all, a figure ambles out, turns her face towards the sky and smiles. Indigo. She is followed by a familiar cloaked figure that can only be Niles. 

“Surrender or die!” calls Indigo, her voice sing song.

Subaki is marked by one, two, three, four archers.


	6. Chapter 6

“This is much more civilised, isn’t it?” says Indigo. 

They are sitting in the courtyard, on iron furniture made for the outdoors. The table even has a parasol, though it remains closed. Indigo sits opposite Subaki and Niles. Niles is uncharacteristically quiet. 

Indigo has given them both tea. The crockery is edged with love hearts, as though it belongs to a young girl. Neither Subaki or Niles drink it so it sits steaming in front of them, the warmth infuriatingly tempting. 

Subaki glances up. There are still at least two archers who have their arrows trained in his direction. On the grass, his pegasus whickers, her displeasure obvious. 

Behind them, someone who is probably Mikey groans loudly as he is stretchered away. 

“Niles and I have been talking about the good old days,” says Indigo. “Haven’t we, Niles?”

“You could say that,” says Niles. He’s armed with a bow and quiver, presumably stolen. Subaki frowns, trying to put the pieces of what happened while he was in the sky together. 

“You’re old friends?” asks Subaki. 

“Old lovers,” corrects Indigo. 

Niles snorts but doesn’t add anything.

“I can see that we both have more...sophisticated taste these days.” 

At this, Niles laughs dryly. “Having money doesn’t make you sophisticated. Don’t kid yourself you’re something special. Underneath it all, you’re just like me, a common street thief who made it big.”

“I am trying to be civil,” snaps Indigo. “I could have had your boyfriend killed by now, you know.”

It’s Subaki’s turn to laugh. “He wishes,” he tells Indigo. “And I just bested your wyvern rider. Do you really think it’ll be that easy to kill me?”

“I could do it with a single arrow. I know your sort,” she says.

“But you don’t know me,” says Subaki.

“This is ridiculous. If you’re so high and mighty, you can do without a little charm you stole from a fellow thief,” says Niles. “Unless you’re afraid that you won’t be able to survive without it...”

“Return it at once or I kill your partner in crime.”

“Ah, now that doesn’t sound like Indigo Hope. That sounds like little Indy, the street rat who thought she deserved better.”

“Return it or I give the order to shoot.”

“This is the only thing Niles has of his family. To have stolen such a thing is truly despicable,” says Subaki. “If you ever cared for him, you will let him take the charm and let us go.”

A number of emotions flickered across Indigo’s face. But finally, finally she nodded.

Indigo smiles and offers a hand as they rise. Thinking she intends to shake his hand, Subaki steps forward - 

Only to have Niles shove him aside. It’s only then that Subaki sees what Indigo is holding in her other hand - a knife, the blade gleaming in the red glow of the mansion lights. 

It’s too late for him to do anything and the knife makes a sickening ripping noise as it sinks into flesh. 

Niles staggers, shock evident on his face and his legs give out from under him. He collapses with a groan. Indigo’s knife sticks out from his chest, the handle studded with gemstones.

“It’s what you deserve, you wretch!” shrieks Indigo. “No one talks to me like that and lives! No one steals from me and lives. This place is mine - everyone lives by my rules and my rules alone.”

“Niles!” 

Subaki ignores Indigo’s tirade and tries to force his brain to recall everything he knows about first aid. He can’t remove the knife, if he does Niles will bleed out. He needs medical attention and fast- his breath stutters and his face is pale. 

“Don’t waste your time,” says Indigo. “It isn’t as though he’ll be missed.”

“You’re crazy,” says Subaki. 

“What’s so crazy about defending my property from a no good thief?” says Indigo with a mirthless grin. “Two no good thieves, to be exact.”

It takes Subaki a couple of seconds to realise what’s coming. Her speed is incredible but he’s no slouch. As Indigo lunges, a second knife in hand, he leaps clear of her just in the nick of time. She’s right; Niles could die so he can’t afford to draw this out. 

The archers above unleash a hurricane of arrows and he hits the ground.Somehow each and every one misses. 

“Enough, you idiots! You could hit me! Lousy marksmen, the lot of you!” Indigo screams. “I’ll finish this on my own!”

Subaki breathes a sigh of relief as he sees the forms of the archers disappear. But...

“I’m bored of playing with you,” says Indigo, flipping her knife.

Subaki runs. He hoists the glaive from where he’d dropped it in his earlier surrender. In those few seconds, he hears Indigo casting, feels the air fill with magic. He swerves round and throws all his weight behind the weapon. It doesn’t connect and Indigo’s magic takes hold of him, roots him to the spot. All he can do is watch Indigo advance, still flipping her knife and stare at the glaive that lies frustratingly close to his feet. He fights the spell that has caught him, manages to move one, two sluggish steps away. He seizes the glaive and finally, finally Indigo’s close enough that he can sweep her feet out from under her. She trips, takes a tumble. Subaki catches his breath. His limbs still feel sluggish from the spell. 

When he sees Indigo lunge for him again, she’s closer than he realised. Too close for him to do much about it other than twist out of the way but she’ll swing again, she’ll catch him and -

There’s a whistle of wind, the sound of an arrow. Subaki’s first instinct is to duck as arrows are usually intended for him but - 

Indigo screams.

The arrow has hit her. It’s lodged straight into the middle of her back. 

There’s only one archer left within range. 

Sure enough, when Subaki looks, there’s a bloody trail along the ground from where Niles has managed to drag himself to slightly higher ground. He’s breathing hard as he holds his stolen bow, the toll it’s taken on him obvious. 

Indigo, for her part, takes another weak swipe at Subaki. He neatly side steps and leaves her where she falls, the arrow embedded neatly at the base of her spine. He goes to Niles. 

“You need to stay awake enough to hold on to a pegasus. Think you can manage?” Subaki asks.

Niles bares his teeth into a grin and gives Subaki a thumbs up. 

As they leave the island behind, Subaki wonders if he, along with the other Hoshidans, have misjudged Nohr and its inhabitants. There was a desperation about the place that has left a mark on him, made him think. If his life had been different, would he have made choices like Niles or Indigo? Would there have even been a choice for him? 

Nohr is sad, he decides. Maybe Hoshido should be trying to help instead of harm. 

Lady Sakura, he thinks, will agree. 

“Just hold on,” he tells Niles.


	7. Chapter 7

Subaki approaches the Nohrian tents clutching a bunch of Hoshidan blooms. He feels foolish but he didn’t know what else to bring. 

“My hero,” drawls Niles when Subaki enters. He’s trying for sarcasm but Subaki can hear something else beneath it. Fear? Wonder?

“You’re welcome,” Subaki offers dryly. There isn’t a vase so he puts the flowers in an empty tin intended for bandages. He fusses with the plants, trying to get them in some semblance of order. White in the middle, then blue, then yellow, then red. Niles watches him in irritating silence. Subaki doesn’t know what to say so he draws the task out, trying to get every stem straight. 

“Lord Leo has taken control of Indigo’s island,” says Niles eventually. “He’s posted royal soldiers there who are attempting to sort out the mess we left behind.”

“What happened to Indigo?”

“Captured and awaiting trial. Her mansion contained evidence of murder, thievery and blackmail. Indigo’s empire fell apart pretty quickly. Her luck finally ran out.”

Subaki mulls on this change of fortunes and the good luck charm at the root of it all. By rights, Niles shouldn’t have survived the trauma of being stabbed and then forcefully transported back by pegasus. The shock alone should have killed him.

Subaki isn’t usually one to believe in luck or karma or whatever people may call it. Yet he’s hard pressed to think of any other explanation, any other reason that Niles is alive and talking to him. He goes back to the flowers, picking out a red bloom surrounded by a sea of blue ones. There is quiet once more. 

“As you’ve saved me so heroically,” says Niles. “I’ve been thinking of ways to thank you. Like maybe getting Odin to help me come up with a song.”

“No,” says Subaki, very, very firmly. “That’s quite alright. I can uphold my perfect reputation on my own.”

There’s another beat of silence.

“I don’t get you, Subaki,” Niles says. “Why help me? I insulted you, threatened you, betrayed you...why did you still do everything you could to help me? Was it really just about...perfection?”

Subaki gives his answer careful consideration. He’s not completely sure himself. Niles has a charisma about him that draws him in but it isn’t just that.

“You wanted me to help you.You must have thought carefully about who to take with you on your mission, about their skills and abilities. And out of everyone here, you chose me.”

“Heh. Don’t get the wrong idea. You just happened to tick all of the right boxes. Competent yet gullible. Smart but naive.”

“You trusted that if you went with me, you’d come back,” says Subaki. “I know I’m right.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Why not come closer and I’ll give you your reward.”

“This is clearly a trap,” says Subaki but approaches him anyway. To his surprise, Niles swings himself on to his feet and limps to meet him halfway. Puts a hand on his shoulder, raises himself on to tiptoes. Subaki closes his eyes and Niles kisses him on the cheek, like he’s a princess and not a knight. Subaki can feel himself turning scarlet. His mouth has gone dry and his thoughts get tangled with emotions he doesn’t have a name for.

“Ah, I suppose I should give you this as well,” says Niles. “You earned it.”

In his palm is a horseshoe that gleams silver even in the faint light of the tent. Subaki holds his hand out, curious. As soon as he holds the horseshoe he knows what it is. He’s not a mage but he can still feel the magic on it. It tingles against his fingertips, feels like a breeze on a spring day. 

“You can’t give me this. It’s the charm your mother gave to you.”

He shrugs. “I forgot that it never felt like it belonged to me. Besides, I was going to sell it anyway.”

Subaki looks at him and bursts out laughing. “You liar. But very well, I will take good care of it.”

“Pfft. The idea is that it will take care of you.”

As Subaki looks at him, he feels like it’s the first time he’s properly seen Niles’ face. He’s surprisingly handsome when he isn’t sneering. It catches him off guard. He knows that he should be on his way now, say something like ‘See you around,’ and leave it at that.

But something still feels...unfinished. If Subaki leaves, it might remain that way. So he takes a chance.

“I’m surprised,” says Subaki. “You didn’t kiss me properly. I didn’t think you’d be shy.”

Subaki doesn’t miss the millisecond where Niles’ eye widen in surprise and his mouth falls open - before he collects himself and instead slips on a sly grin. It feels good to be the one delivering the surprises for a change.

“Is that an invitation?”

“Hmm. More of a demand.”

The kiss is even better than Subaki expected and he enjoys it more than he thought he would.

It’s a perfect moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voila, happy end!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has given me comments and kudos while I've been posting this. It's been amazing opening my email and seeing them roll in. 
> 
> I'm trying to practice longer works and improve my pacing (it's too fast, I know!) so if anyone has any tips or thoughts I'd appreciate the help. 
> 
> I hope you guys have enjoyed this as much I enjoyed writing it. I certainly enjoyed messing with Subaki, poor guy. However, I can't help but feel he's led such an orderly and regimented life that he'd find being drawn into Niles' chaos kind of irresistible. I think that's why I enjoy the pairing so much :-)
> 
> (That and Niles has GOT to have a few angry exes running around at this point, no? Niles' Seven Evil Exes perhaps...watch out Subaki!)


End file.
